Buffy meets Dexter with a sprinkling of Aeschylus, but only for genre fiends.
When vengeance is all you seek, will it ever be enough?
Five years ago, Amelie Ainsworth, now 16, was abducted by a very bad man. After he had abused her, Amelie was willing to do anything to escape or, better yet, exact revenge. Her call for assistance brought Tisiphone and Megaera, two-thirds of the mythological Furies, who rescued her in exchange for her becoming their third. Now they live in her mind and manifest when she brings the guilty to justice. After an unscrupulous psychiatrist destroys her life and her family, Amelie flees across the country, taking out men guilty of crimes against women and children with the help of her ever-strengthening companions. Settling in West County, Pa., she changes her name to Cory and tries to lead a normal life. But the Furies have plans for her, and she might not be able to escape, even with the help of hunky Niko. Ireland's debut wastes a promising premise in the myths-in-the-modern-world subgenre by peopling a turgid and at times repetitive tale with stock characters and silly bad men. She plays fast and loose with the traditional motivations of the Furies and tosses in many unrealistic plot twists.
Buffy meets Dexter with a sprinkling of Aeschylus, but only for genre fiends. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4462-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2013
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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